Improvement in galvanic batteries



G. LAUDE'R. Galvanic Battery.

No. -208,6I4. Patented Oct. 1, 1878.

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UNITED S TATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE LAUDER, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN GALVANIC BATTERIES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 208,614, dated October1, 1878; application filed December 14, 1877.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE LAUDER, ofPittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented a new anduseful Improvem entin Galvanic Batteries; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof,.,reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming partof this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional viewof a cell embodying my invention in the preferred form, and Fig. 2 is asimilar view of a modification.

Like letters refer to like parts wherever they occur.

My invention relates to the construction of cells for galvanicbatteries, and also to the material employed therefor; and consists,first, in employing, as an exciting element, any metallic sulphuretcapable of being oxidized by air or moisture, or air and moistureas, forinstance, the sulphuret of iron or iron pyrites secondly, in the use ofperforated plates to allow access of air, or air and moisture, to theexciting element; thirdly, in the employment of two plates, P and N, ofsimilar metal, with an exciting element capable of oxidation by air ormoisture, or air and moisture; fonrthly, in covering the-plates of thecell with fibrous or like material adapted to raise the water bycapillary or like action.

I will now proceed to describe my invention, so that others skilled inthe art to which it appertains may apply the same.

This cell consists, essentially, of an outer jar, two or more plates ofsimilar or dissimilar metal, and the exciting element. For the excitingelement I employ iron pyrites or any of the sulphurets of metalsoxidizable in the air, or in air and water. When dissimilar metals areused for the plates I prefer copper and zinc; but when the same metal isused for both plates copper is preferred.

In the drawing, a indicates a receptacle of suitable material,preferably glass or earthenware. b 0 indicate the plates, which are, inthe present instance, copper and zinc, respectively, but may be of anyother two dissimilar metals adapted to form a positive and negative; orthe two plates 11 0 may be of the same metal-as, for instance, bothcopper or both zinc. d (I represent plate-coverings of felt, blotting-paper, or other fibrous material adapted to supply moisture to theexciting element and to the plates by the capillary action. Thesecoverings should be applied to the surfaces of the plates which come incontact with each other or with the exciting element, but may be appliedon both surfaces, if desired. One or more of the plates of the batteryshould be perforated or slotted, as at e, or in other suitable manner,to facilitate the access of air to the body of the exciting element.

In practice I have found that a somewhat difi'erent arrangement of theelements is desirable in a constant battery, as for electroplating,where quantity and uniformity are required, and a battery for opencircuits, where intensity is preferred. For the former (shown in Fig. 1)I obtain good results by rolling a sheet of zinc, c, of, say, eightinches by thirtysix inches, into a cylinder of suitable size, inclosingit in a sheath or covering of felt or blotting-paper, d, arranging itcentrally in a jar and packing it around, to a depth of about four tosix inches, with coke-dust f or other absorbent of like nature. I nexttake a perforated copper plate and form therefrom a cylinder, orotherwise produce a perforated or slotted copper cylinder, which mayvary from six to twelve inches in diameter, and should be about sixinches long. This I cover upon its inner surface with a layer of felt orblotting-paper, d, as in the case of the zinc. The copper cylinder isthen arranged within the jar, resting upon the absorbent packing f andconcentric with the zinc-cylinder. The space between the two metals isfilled with iron pyrites g or other oxidizable sulphuret of a metal, andwater is added in sufficient qua-ntity to touch the bottom of the copperplate.

For an open circuit the cell modified in arrangement, as shown in Fig.2, has been found best adapted. In this case the perforated or slottedcopper cylinder is usually some three or four inches in diameter,sufficiently long to extend to the bottom of the jar, and is covered onboth surfaces with the felt or blot ting-paper. The zinc is arrangedwithin the copper cylinder, and preferably in contact with the fibrouscover thereof, the space between t-he copper cylinder and the jar isfilled in with the metallic sulphuret, and water is added to the heightof the zinc. If desired, both plates may be perforated or slotted,though I have not fon-iul'amjad vantages therefrom.

The advantages of my invention are that an effective, equable,inexpensive, odorless, and clean cell is obtained thereby.

1 am aware that a thermopile has been constructed wherein a centralcylinder or firechamber has been surrounded by an isolated metallictrough for containing water, an intervening space between the fire andwater chambers being packed with galena, the difi'erence between thetemperature caused by the fire in the inner chamber and the evaporationof the water in the trough outside causing a current to flow through thegalena into the conductor used to join the two cylinders; and also thatit has been proposed to substitute nickel and its copper compounds,selenium, tellurium, or sulphate of copper for the galena, and do notherein claim such subject-matter.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. As an exciting element in a galvanic cell, a metallic sulphuretoxidizable by air and moisture, substantially as specified.

2. In a galvanic cell whose exciting element is a metallic sulphuret, aperforated plate, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. A galvanic cell composed of two or more plates of either similar ordissimilar metals and a metallic sulphuret or similar oxidizableexciting element, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination, in a' galvanic cell, of two or more plates of metal,an oxidizable exciting element, and a cover or coverings of fibrousmaterial interposed between the plates and the exciting element,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I, the said GEORGE LAUDER, have hereunto set myhand.

GEORGE LAUDER.

Witnesses:

JAMES I. KAY, F. W. BITTER, Jr.

